Moldovan Prime Minister Resigns, Triggering Government's Collapse

Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu announced his resignation on Friday, a move that automatically triggers the government's resignation and leaves the country's pro-Western administration in a caretaker role while a new cabinet is formed.

Munteanu, who took office less than a year ago after a closely fought election widely seen as a choice between East and West, did not give a specific reason for stepping down.

"Today I end my term as prime minister," Munteanu wrote in a statement posted on social media. "The moment I understand that I can no longer exercise my mandate in accordance with my principles and beliefs, I choose to walk away."

He added: "I accepted the proposal to be prime minister with a lot of responsibility and strong conviction that I can contribute to changing things for the better."

Under Moldova's constitution, a prime minister's resignation takes effect immediately, though the government continues in a caretaker capacity until a new administration is approved.

President Maia Sandu thanked Munteanu for steering the country through what she described as a "complex period" but said she expected "more involvement in complicated decisions, more openness to listening to people."

"Next week, I will listen to the parliamentary groups to appoint a new prime minister. We must have a united, strong team in the Government that will fulfill our country's objective," she said. "We are obliged to succeed in taking Moldova into the EU and helping the country."

"From my experience, at least in recent years, it is never easy to identify candidates for the position of prime minister," she added. "I cannot know how long it will take, but we must still manage to have a government fairly quickly."

Landlocked between Ukraine and European Union and NATO member Romania, Moldova has pursued closer ties with the West since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Its bid to join the European Union has placed the country at the centre of geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West.